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Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour Comes to San Francisco
 
Band Features Kenny Barron, Regina Carter, Russell Malone, Kiyoshi Kitagawa, and Johnathan Blake
 
The group features the nine-time Grammy®-nominated and 2010 NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron on piano; Grammy-nominated violinist Regina Carter; Grammy-winning guitarist Russell Malone; bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa; and Grammy-nominated drummer Johnathan Blake. The band made their debut at the 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by Verizon in September 2009.
 
Members of the MJF All-Stars have a special relationship with the Monterey Jazz Festival, and have a commitment to the cultivation of jazz audiences worldwide. Pianist Kenny Barron made his first of his eight appearances at MJF in the early 1960s with Dizzy Gillespie. Violinist Regina Carter was selected as Artist-In-Residence for MJF/47 in 2004 and has appeared at the Festival four times since 1999. Guitarist Russell Malone has appeared five times at MJF since 1997. Both bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake made their second appearances at MJF/52. All together, the members of the MJF/52 All-Star group have performed at Monterey twenty-five times.
 
“With the success of our 50th Anniversary Tour in 2008 and the subsequent Grammy win a year later for Terence Blanchard for the live recording at MJF/50, we were anxious to continue the spirit and excitement created by the inaugural event and build an even stronger platform for 2010’s ‘MJF On Tour,’” said Tim Jackson, General Manager for the Monterey Jazz Festival. “With Kenny Barron (piano), Regina Carter (violin), and Russell Malone (guitar) as this year’s principal artists and with the superb support of Kenny’s working trio, Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass and drummer Johnathan Blake, we have created an ensemble that is both sonically interesting and hard swinging. These artists all embody the history, spirit, and legacy of the Monterey Jazz Festival; each has a past relationship with MJF that includes performance and educational activities, both core components of Monterey’s mission statement. They are an amazing band that will embody the past, present, and future of jazz.”
 
About The Tour

The Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour completed the East Coast portion of their 36-show, 17-state tour in February 2010, with the second half taking place on the West Coast and Midwest in April and May 2010, at major performing arts organizations in many regions of the county, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. For a complete tour itinerary, visit www.montereyjazzfestival.org. Each of the shows will feature a selection of standards and originals from all periods of jazz.
 
This will be the second time a national tour has represented MJF. In early 2008, the Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars (featuring Terence Blanchard, James Moody, Benny Green, Nnenna Freelon, Derrick Hodge, and Kendrick Scott) performed for 44,000 fans in 52 cities in 22 states. A recording on Monterey Jazz Festival Records -- an imprint of Concord Records -- from their performance at MJF/50, Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival, was nominated for two Grammys, (Terence Blanchard and James Moody were both nominated in the Best Jazz Instrumental Solo Category) with the Grammy going to Terence Blanchard on February 8, 2009, making it the first Grammy for the fledgling label.
 
Recent Quotes in the Press

“…the night’s performance clearly showed how effective violin and guitar can be in a jazz setting.”
- University of Connecticut Daily Campus
 
“The All-Stars…were worthy representatives of the famed festival. Vocalist Elling dominated the proceedings with some superior singing that showed why he won the Best Jazz Vocal Album prize at the Grammy Awards…”  - Worcester Telegram & Gazette
 
“A virtuosic Malone solo ballad made the hall feel like an intimate club…” - Boston Herald
 
“…a high-class affair…” - Boston Globe
 
“It is clear that the Monterey Jazz Festival has emerged as the leading jazz diplomat in the United States. It was like sipping fine wine…” - Edge Boston
 
“…a beautiful display of some of the best mainstream jazz musicianship on today’s scene…the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour is a clear recipe for success—instead of throwing together a few virtuosic performers with overinflated egos, it showcases a clear model for interactive, thoughtful and creative jazz.” - Harvard Crimson
 
About the MJF/52 All-Stars

Pianist and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron has an unmatched ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant playing, sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms is what inspired the Los Angeles Times to name him "one of the top jazz pianists in the world.” Dizzy Gillespie hired Barron in 1962, and he has also performed with Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, Buddy Rich, Yusef Lateef, and many more. From 1974 to 2000, Kenny was on the faculty at Rutgers University as professor of music, and has mentored many of today’s young talents including David Sanchez, Terence Blanchard, and Regina Bell. Kenny was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2009, he was named a Living Legacy by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. He has recorded over 40 albums as a leader, and has earned 9 Grammy nominations. He was selected as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master for 2010, the nation’s highest honor in jazz.
 
Grammy-nominated drummer and composer Johnathan Blake, has been working steadily in the contemporary jazz scene for the past 10 years, and is the first-call drummer for many notable jazz musicians such as Tom Harrell, David Sanchez, Russell Malone, Kenny Barron, Randy Brecker, and Oliver Lake, to name a few. Eventually attending William Paterson University in New Jersey and studying with Rufus Reid, John Riley, Steve Wilson, and Horace Arnold, he also was gigging professionally with the Oliver Lake Big Band, Roy Hargrove, and David Sanchez. By 2007, Johnathan received a Master’s degree from the Rutgers University, studying with Ralph Bowen, Conrad Herwig, and Stanley Cowell, primarily focusing on his compositional skills. Johnathan is currently a member of the Tom Harrell Quintet, the Russell Malone Quartet, and he performs regularly with Kenny Barron, Avishai Cohen, and Omer Avital.
 
Regina Carter began performing on violin at the age of four. Regina attended Detroit's prestigious Cass Technical High School. Upon graduating, she departed for the New England Conservatory of Music, only to return to Michigan’s Oakland University, seasoning her chops by gigging with several local musicians. By 1994, she had returned to New York, recording two solo albums for Atlantic while also working with the String Trio of New York, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Greg Tate and the Black Rock Coalition. Carter joined Verve Records in 1998. She has released the critically acclaimed works Regina Carter, Something For Grace, Rhythms of the Heart, Motor City Moments, Freefall (a collaboration with pianist Kenny Barron that was nominated for a Grammy in 2001); Paganini: After a Dream, and I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey. Her latest, Reverse Thread, will be released in January 2010. Her playing has appeared on filmmaker Ken Burns’ soundtrack for the PBS documentary, Jazz; Wynton Marsalis’ opera Blood on the Fields; Cassandra Wilson’s Traveling Miles; Mary J. Blige’s My Life; and Latin Jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri on his Grammy-winning Listen Here. In January 2010, Regina was the principal soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as she performing the debut of a Violin Concerto by jazz pianist and composer Billy Childs, a work commissioned by the DSO, and written specifically for her. In spring 2010, Regina will be releasing Reverse Thread, an engaging collection of primarily African folk tunes that both contemporary yet true to its roots.
 
Bassist and composer Kiyoshi Kitagawa is an integral part of today's jazz scene. Soon after moving to New York City from Japan, he met Winard Harper at Blue Note’s jam session and joined the Harper Brothers, recording on the Remembrance: Live at The Village Vanguard. Kiyoshi has toured and recorded with the alto great Kenny Garrett with drummer Brian Blade. He has gone on to work with many of the leading names in jazz including Steve Turre, Tommy Flanagan, and Kenny Kirkland just to name a few. In 1996, he formed “The Trio” with the versatile Japanese pianist, Makoto Ozone, releasing four albums together. Most recently, Kiyoshi has been touring the world with bands led by three jazz greats: the Jimmy Heath Quartet, the Kenny Barron Trio and Quintet, and the Andy Bey Quartet.
 
Born in Albany, Georgia, guitarist Russell Malone grew up playing a variety of music. In 1988, he was hired as a sideman by the seminal organist Jimmy Smith. He went on to back the popular pianist and vocalist, Harry Connick Jr. from 1990-1994. Malone first recorded as a leader in 1992, when he provided his self-titled debut album for Columbia, Russell Malone, which quickly went to #1 on the radio charts and was followed by Black Butterfly in 1993 and Wholly Cats for Japan’s Venus label in 1995. Malone joined pianist and vocalist Diana Krall in 1995, contributing to Krall's first three Grammy-nominated albums, including 1999’s When I Look In Your Eyes. Verve Records released three albums by Malone, including Sweet Georgia Peach for Impulse! in 1998, Look Who’s Here in 1999, and Heartstrings in 2001. Malone has had the honor of launching the “Strings Series” for the MAXJAZZ label with his 2004 label debut Playground, which was followed by 2006’s Live At Jazz Standard, Volume One, and 2007’s Live At Jazz Standard, Volume Two.
 
About the Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival, founded in 1958, is a nonprofit organization and is dedicated to perpetuating the uniquely American form of music known as jazz by producing performances that celebrate the legacy and expand the boundaries of jazz; and by presenting year-round local, regional, national, and international jazz education programs. These hands-on, cutting-edge educational components include the Traveling Clinician and Latin Jazz Programs, with professional musicians visiting Monterey County schools to teach students how to play and improvise in jazz and Latin styles; the Artist-In-Residence Program, which brings a leading jazz performer to work with students throughout the year; the MJF Summer Jazz Camp, the MJF Instrument and Sheet Music Library, the MJF Digital Music Education Project, the Next Generation Festival, the Monterey County High School All-Star Band, the MJF Middle School Honor Band and MJF Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. The 53rd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by Verizon will take place September 17 - 19, 2010, and will feature the four-time Grammy-winning vocalist, Dianne Reeves, as Artist-In-Residence. The lineup for MJF/53 will be announced on Monday, March 29, 2010.

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